Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 5th May 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 794 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 493p –. Husk Farms Ltd, Dover.
Top price per head – £229.00 – C A Worley Farming Ltd, Maidstone. & Husk Farms Ltd, Dover.

A small entry of hoggets this week, partly due to following a bank holiday, but predominantly as the numbers are now really running tight around the country. Trade did also take a considerable lift as a result of this, and we saw an average price return of £200.52, one of the highest overall average prices we have ever seen for finished hoggets. The smaller entry was made up of a very good quality run of sheep with a large percentage of the entry selling in excess of £4/kg, in particular the lighter weight brackets. The best quality heavies also improved on the week with almost half of the entire entry selling over £200/hd and topping at £229 twice from both Husk Farms Ltd and C A Worley Farming Ltd, closely followed at £228 by both A & C Price and M Pearce. Again, a lot of the entry selling over £4/kg, with an improved top price of 493p/kg achieved by Husk Farms also but several other lots over 440p/kg form M Pearce, S J Reeve & Son and R M Vidler.
Will this trade continue? It is likely to not see any drastic falls in the remainder of May with the festival of Qurbani approaching at the end of the month, but once numbers of new season lambs begin to increase, there will be the inevitable switchover which will soon have a negative impact on the hoggets.

Finished Hoggets

39 – £158.00 (405p kg) – J H & A H Godden
40 – £158.00 (395p kg) – J H & A H Godden
42 – £190.00 (452p kg) – M Pearce
43 – £183.00 (426p kg) – M Pearce
44 – £150.00 (341p kg) – G L Boulden & Sons
45 – £222.00 (493p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
46 – £216.00 (470p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
47 – £205.00 (436p kg) – R M Vidler
48 – £216.00 (450p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
49 – £219.00 (447p kg) – S J Reeve & Son
50 – £229.00 (458p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
51 – £226.00 (443p kg) – M Pearce
52 – £204.00 (392p kg) – A Clark
53 – £223.00 (421p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
54 – £229.00 (424p kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
55 – £221.00 (402p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
56 – £213.00 (380p kg) – S J Reeve & Son
57 – £224.00 (393p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
59 – £219.00 (371p kg) – R M Vidler
60 – £198.00 (330p kg) – C Burgess
62 – £195.00 (315p kg) – R E Jarvis
63 – £228.00 (362p kg) – M Pearce
66 – £212.00 (321p kg) – J & C Kellett

Averages (p/kg)

Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 72 – Top 452, Ave. 399.1
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 347 – Top 493, Ave. 414.4
Over 52.1 kgs + – 374 – Top 424, Ave. 369.7

New Season Lambs – 9 sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Just a handful on offer this week from J Howie, topping at 462p/kg. That being £200/hd for 42kg continental lambs. More will come out week on week now and trade is good due to reduced number of hoggets on offer.
Please let us know in advance of any large consignments you intend to send.

Store Hoggets  175 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

It appears we have eased slightly in this section with time running out for some of the poorer types to get out of trouble at the incredible prices we have become used to in this section. Still topping at £160/hd and averaging £131/hd but it was evident that the “farmer” buyers are less keen than they were a few weeks ago, potentially due to quite an evident grazing shortage in the South East at the moment.

Cull Sheep – 484 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewes: £245.00 – Husk Farms Ltd, Kent. – Ave. £165.04

A flying trade throughout with strong numbers continuing to come forward week on week.
The best ewes regularly £160 – £190 and to a top price of £245 hd from Husk Farms Ltd. Medium sorts £130 – £160 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £100 – £130 throughout with only 7 lots sold under £100 hd on the day.
We are seeing a firm trade every week with numbers being found and brought forward as a result so if you have ewes to sell do not hesitate to get them cashed while the trade is at this level.

Top prices included:

Texels to £245 – Husk Farms Ltd, Beltex to £228 – Husk Farms Ltd, Texel cross to £218 – A Boyd & Co, Crossbred to £196 – M J Ashworth, Suffolk cross to £196 – H & J Noakes, Romneys to £186 – R L Goodman & Son, Mules to £178 – R L Goodman & Son.

Ewes & Lambs 110 sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A larger entry of couples on offer this week creating plenty of interest with buyers positive and keen for more.
Top call went to A Boyd & Co to £322 per outfit and £129 per life for super Texel cross ewes with smart lambs at foot followed by P Ashlee with younger lambs but very similar couples to £308 per outfit and £113.50 per life.
We have a section available for couples every week and expect numbers to come forward each week in the near future with good entries already forward for next week.

Ear Tags in Sheep
Please be aware of your responsibilities with regard to the tagging of sheep of all ages and in all sections of the market.

Cattle Reports

Finished Cattle –  51 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Trade conditions remain difficult throughout the country with beef finding the going hardest within the meat sector, and surprisingly so against the sheep price which continues at high levels. The big deadweight firms continuing to knock lumps off their headline prices, but hopefully lower prices can stimulate some demand in the retail and catering sectors.
A few more customers around the ring were able to take the slightly increased numbers with the smart beef bred cattle 340-365p; commercial types 320-340p; and the more awkward dairy bred types either side of 300p.
Limousin heifers from W Alexander (Shoreham) topped the day at 366p, £2066, with steers led by R F & E A Simmons at 357p, £2192.
A J Down`s good Limousin x Friesian steers similar on the week selling to 340p, £2174, heifers from the same home to 339p, £1929. Strong Angus x Holstein Friesian from W F Farms to 325p, £2109; British Blue x Jersey heifers to 317p, £1614 Hickson Bros.
Amongst the natives nicely covered Sussex steers from John Taylor to 340p £2013; Sussex heifers from Paul Boulden to 320p £1965.
Young Bulls (7) A nice show of good quality bulls sold to good competition. Limousin to 353p, £2362 from C R Cook with other continentals just over 330p, natives 300-320p.

Leading steer prices

R F & E A Simmons – Limousin – 357p (£2192)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 354p (£2209)
J Taylor – Sussex – 340p (£1986)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 340p (£1765)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 336p (£2130)

Leading heifer prices

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 366p (£2065)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 357p (£1854)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 356p (£1884)
Dan Mackleden Ltd – Limousin cross – 354p (£2103)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin – 351p (£1963)

Average prices

Steers 200-550 kg – 2 – Top 340p – Ave. 326p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 15 – Top 357p – Ave. 330p
Steers 651 kg + – 5 – Top 334p – Ave. 314p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 2 – Top 295p – Ave. 287p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 9 – Top 366p – Ave. 337p
Heifers 591+ kg – 11 – Top 354p – Ave. 320p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 33 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A smaller entry after the Bank Holiday weekend but no let-up in the strength of demand for either slaughter cows or feeding types as processors and feeders recognise the shortage of supply, and how at this time of year numbers will only get tighter.
Very few from the beef sector with a quality Limousin from H J Emery & Son leading the day at 326p, £2441 with a Sussex from Cobtree YFC leading the natives at 308p, £1804.
Limousin 326p, £2441 H J Emery & Son; Sussex 308p, £251p, £1804, £1614 Cobtree YFC; Blonde 270p, £2062 G L Boulden & Sons; British Blue 262p, £1647 PJS Farms, 246p, £1485 P H Hope; Shorthorn 236p, £1625 I M Symonds.
The dairy sector showing a strong entry this week and cows generally carrying cover. Demand strong with better cows generally 225p-250p and getting close to £2000 for heavyweights.
Holstein Friesian 252p, 243p £1572, £1552 JW Boyd & Sons, 250p, 247p, 244p (2), 242p (2) £1984, £1826, £1734, £1613, £1577 A & W J Hitchcock; 227p, £1993 W S Furnival; Holstein 217p, £1667 P J Forknall; Jersey 180p, £898 Hickson Bros, 150p, £822 S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Stock Bull (1) A good Limousin bull well sold at 260p, £2686.
Overage (2) Charolais OTM heifer 319p, £2038 Leggat Farming; Norwegian Red OTM heifer 266p, £1819.

Beef Cows – 9 Sold – Top 326, Average 263.1
Dairy Cows – 20 Sold – Top 252, Average 215.1

Store & Breeding Cattle – 6 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A very small few which is often the case following a bank holiday Monday with Simmental breeding bulls 16 mths topping at £3000 hd from M W Rix and a Charolais cross cow with Aberdeen Angus bull calf from Messrs P H Hope to £2500 for the outfit.
We have good entries coming forward already for Tuesday 12^th May so please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have cattle to sell next week.

Ear Tags

Producers are reminded that all cattle require two ear tags with at least one large distance readable tag. Please inspect stock in good time to order replacement tags as, regrettably, any stock that are incorrectly tagged may not be offered for sale. Local authority inspectors will be taking note as stock comes to market.

Store & Finished Pigs – 16 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A few more on offer this week in the pig department with top call on the day going to A P & P C Rose for well fleshed Saddleback x Duroc gilts to £137.20 hd followed by C Higgins in close attendance with their finished to 138p kg.
The best results are achieved with Continental sorts that are well fleshed and weigh 85 – 100 kg.
Please do inform me of any pigs you intend on selling in our next sale on Tuesday 19^th May.

 

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